Never, ever been able to understand those people who prefer winter to summer and, as they enthusiastically turn back their clocks with a pasty white finger (these bloodless people never sun-bathe) talk about the joy of jumpers.
Hygge: noun – the practice of creating cosy and congenial environments that promote well being
You can stuff woolly jumpers where the sun doesn’t shine.
I hate mizzle and drizzle.
I hate that shoulder pain you get from prolonged shivering.
I hate dark mornings and even darker nights.
One month ago I was walking the dog around the local playing field wearing shorts (me – not Eddie). Now I am wearing six layers, an unflattering wood-chopper’s hat, tights, muffler, socks and thermal-lined walking boots and I am still cold; plus I have to take a torch and a flashing LED arm-band because it’s pitch black outside (I live in a village with few street lights/pavements) even though I never go out later than 5pm.
My friend tells me I will get fonder feelings for winter if I attend her ‘Hygge’ night. She and her merry band of crafters huddle round a pine kitchen table, drink coffee, eat biscuits and make cards (PJs and slippers optional). The ‘hygge’ element is, she says, an untranslatable Danish ‘concept’ for sitting around in warm socks in front of a gently challenging craft project with no where else to go. If it’s snowing, sleeting or raining outside; even better.
The warm, self-satisfied (in a good way) feeling you get is hygge.
Jaime Kurtz, talking to on-line magazine Quartz, teaches a college course on Scandi’ living in Virginia, says an attitude of hygge – or cultivating cosiness – helps to keep our Northern hemisphere friends content during those long, cold and day-long dark winters.
“It’s not just cosy with a blanket and a glass of wine,” Kurtz says. “It’s also inter-personally cosy – having a few people with you talking about issues and things you care deeply about. Having some candles lit, maybe a nice warm drink in your hand. Feeling safe and content.”
Even though the sun doesn’t shine on Norwegians at all from November to January, it doesn’t affect their mental well-being one jot; in fact they look forward to winter as a time for hunkering down and doing all the indoors things they enjoy – eating, drinking and throwing logs on the fire while the Norwegian version of Robbie Williams (bearded, broader and balanced) sings ‘Something Stupid’ in the background. Winter is not something to be endured; it is to be embraced.
In order to get myself out of my winter gloom; I have decided to bring a little hygge into my life. Scented candles and cashmere throws often come at a price…so I have been down to the discount store (TK Maxx) to find some simple and cheap ways to bring joy and happiness to my home.
Candlelight 
You cannot create intimacy, cosiness and fellowship if you have the ‘big light’ on. Instead, festoon every dark nook and cold cranny with candles
Skandinavisk sell a hygge-scented candle for £35. As the word is pretty indefinable; it’s hard to put a fragrance to the notion but these Danish designers say hygge smells like tea, baked strawberry cake, rose petals and wild mint.
For me hygge smells like the hot chocolate and orange candle I found in TK Maxx for £5.99 and throw in the ‘snow’ candle (£3.99) for a bit of extra glow.
Food and drink
In popular mythology Danish food revolves around fish, pork, potatoes and beer. This is the 21st Century people and your typical Dane is more likely to be having a pasta bake or sushi than pickled herring on rye. To embrace hygge you are looking for ‘comfort’ foods – and drinks – like cakes, stews, soups, hot chocolates and mulled wine. Yes there are lots of cookbooks out there which will teach you some Danish recipes but really it’s about hearty, home-cooking and sharing the results with friends. To do hygge food in true Danish style, follow Trine Hahnemann‘s recipe for creamy fish soup in the Guardian.
Blankets and other snuggly things
No journey across the Norwegian plains would be complete without lots of blankets – but whether you are out with your reindeer or just curled up in front of Strictly Come Dancing it is now a matter of national legislation that you have to have a blankie/throw depending on how cute/rich you are. For the purists among you buy a lush mohair Lapuan Kankurit’s Saaga Uni blanket (£120, right) from Scandinavian design company Hus and Hem. If money is a little tight; then try TK Maxx where you could snuggle into this faux fur for £39.99.
Slow down – and read a book
Can you hyyge in front of the telly? Sorry, no. Remember what our Danish friends 
think about socialising around a table groaning with food to discuss issues of the day; hygge is a caring, sharing thing but – if you are alone – you do so in the company of a good book; be it fiction or adult colouring (distracting and relaxing).
If reading is not your thing – really? – then try a craft like knitting or a hobby like star-gazing. Once again, my TK Maxx forage came up trumps…both books costing a comforting £4.99.
Put on some hygge and get happy
What the Danes understand by hyyge style is not so much down to the fashions – it’s the fabrics, textures and hues. We are not just talking socks but cashmere socks. Buy cable knit jumpers, Barbour jackets, cotton PJs and kitten soft gloves and scarves. It’s important that you are stylishly ‘snug’. Think classic, timeless, luxurious and yet practical.
Cosy-up your home
Cosy, yes but Scandinavian interiors are simple, pared, classic and neutral. We love it; it’s not just the meatballs which have us flocking to Ikea. If you are trying to create a hygge interior; think space rather than bothersome clutter, a few layered textiles (cushions, throws, rugs) rather than fussy nick-nacks and sanctuary rather than showcase. Remember to keep the light muted; the Danes are the world’s largest consumer of candles for a reason….
If money is no object; shop the hygge look at Amara; a luxury on-line store which has put together a ‘hygge edit’ featuring saddle blanket cushions, sheepskin rugs and a tapas paddle set.
Become at one with nature (in other words – go outside)
I may have erroneously given you the impression that Scandinavians do nothing except stoke the fire and huddle 
round a candle in winter. Wrong. They have snow – and they ski, sledge and make snowmen. They enjoy hiking, fishing and dog sledding; they like swimming in the cold and sweating in saunas and other out-doorsy pursuits which bring a rosy glow to the cheeks. Moreover, they have a free entertainment from the Northern Lights.
Again, follow their lead and go outside but dress for the weather in lots of layers (except whilst wild swimming). Snuggle in this woollen cardie from TK Maxx for £44.99 and top with a bobble hat (£12.99).
Slow down….
….and do something you love.
Drink coffee, beer, chocolate, wine. Eat comfort food and cook from scratch. Read, have baths, listen to a serial on Radio 4 or 4 extra, listen to music (not Abba), moisturise and pamper, go to the spa, have complementary therapy, take walks and really look at nature, get a pet or do more with your existing ones, take up a craft or a hobby – or do more with your existing one, build fires and toast marshmallow and/or teacakes and, on that subject, eat butter never margarine. Visit open-air markets, cosy coffee shops and pubs/micro breweries; preferably those with an open fire. Leave your work in the office and get into comfy clothes as soon as you get home. Play a game, phone friends or throw a dinner party. Watch a funny movie but turn the TV off when your favourite shows are over. Meditate, do some yoga and get enough sleep. Keep life simple and be kind to yourself.
Journalist Helen Russell lives in Denmark. Here is her suggestion for hygge living in the UK: “Eat that pastry. Enjoy a glass of wine, guilt free. Celebrate the first day you can wear a scarf again, or break out the opaque tights. Turn a 3pm cuppa into an event with friends. Luxuriate in a hot bath. Warm your pants on a radiator. Bake a cake and invite someone round to share your hygge – and let the warm, fuzzy feelings flow.”
For more inspiration see How to Hygge from House to Home
